No XP, Just Seed : My Apocalypse Cheat

004 Ririsa

Dungeon D-6012-7 was thick with stale, dusty air. The rocky cavern was damp, but there wasn't a trace of danger in the atmosphere. Our footsteps echoed lightly against the stone.

Walking alongside me, Elena cast a bored glance across the faintly glowing walls. She turned toward me, a faint smile touching her lips.

"It’s true what they say—a D-rank dungeon feels completely different from an E-rank," she murmured casually. "Still, at the level we’re at now, this is hardly a challenge."

She flicked her gaze toward the far end of the darkened chamber. "Why don’t you take the boss, Kael?"

I rolled my shoulders. "Sure thing. On it."

Underneath a ceiling bristling with jagged stalactites, the dungeon boss waited. This was no low-level mob, but a two-meter-tall stone golem carved from solid granite, laced with glowing blue veins of magical energy. It was a massive pain to fight, boasting heavy anti-magic properties.

Not that magic couldn’t take it down. It was just a colossal hassle and a total waste of time, even for someone holding a high-tier class like Elena.

The cleanest way to deal with a monster like this? Hand it off to a melee fighter like me who dealt purely in raw physical force.

[Intruder detected. Activating automated defense system.]

The moment I stepped closer, a deep mechanical rumble shook the air. The stone golem lumbered upright, making the floor shudder beneath our feet. It raised two massive fists, readying for an attack.

Dropping into a low stance, I tightened my grip on my spear. "Sorry, pal. I’m wrapping this up fast."

BAM!

I launched forward at full throttle, shooting across the floor like an artillery shell. The dusty rock shattered under my boots from the sheer burst of kinetic force. With a deafening roar, the colossal golem swung its heavy arm right at my head. The wind whipping off the blow bit sharp against my face, but its movements were far too sluggish to catch me.

I ducked beneath the swing, poured every ounce of power into my right arm, and drove the spear forward in a straight line.

"Piercing Strike!"

SHRAAASH!

The spearhead punched clean through the golem’s reinforced chest without the slightest resistance, blowing right past its strongest defenses and crushing the energy core nestled within.

CRACK... SHATTER!

The massive construct froze. Then, its entire frame disintegrated into thousands of pebbles, cascading onto the floor and sending up a dense plume of dust.

"Guess that’s what an attack stat over sixteen thousand feels like," I muttered, brushing the grit off my clothes.

"Just what I’d expect from a Spear King," Elena praised, sauntering over. But her smile vanished the moment she looked down at my hands. "Take a look at your spear, Kael."

"Hm? What’s—oh. Right." My eyes widened. A deep fracture splintered down the spearhead, threatening to snap clean in half.

Elena folded her arms. "To keep up with our ridiculous base stats, we need gear that can handle the load. For you, Mithril should be the absolute bare minimum."

She made a fair point. But factoring in the astronomical market price for a Mithril spear, my head began to throb. There was no way I could afford one anytime soon.

"If only we had an investor," I groaned softly. "Then we wouldn’t have to stress over upfront capital like this."

Elena went quiet. Suddenly, she raised her left hand—a familiar habit of hers whenever she fell deep into thought.

"Elena?"

She lowered her hand slowly. "Kael, I know an investor who might be able to help us. But she’s known about my trash job from the very beginning. She might end up figuring out our secret."

I stepped closer. "If you’re willing to bring her up to me, you must trust her a lot, right?"

Elena looked up, a faint tremor in her eyes, before nodding. "Mm. When my own family threw me out, she was the only one who took me in. Truth is... before I thought about ending my life, I stayed with her for a while. Even if I ended up slipping away in the middle of the night because I didn’t want to be a burden." Her fists clenched tightly, holding back the welling emotion.

I smiled gently. "Sounds great. In that case, I owe her a thank-you for taking care of you. Besides, if you hadn’t stayed with her back then, you and I might never have met."

Color rushed into Elena’s cheeks.

"What’s her name? Maybe I’ve heard of her," I asked casually.

"Ririsa," Elena answered softly. "The founder of Nexus Materials."

"Wait, that Ririsa?! One of the richest people in District 6012?!" My jaw practically hit the floor.

"Yup," Elena giggled at my reaction. "Big Sis Ririsa invests heavily in hunters so her company can source monster materials on their own. She used to have high hopes for me, until everything fell apart when I got stuck with a trash job. Even then, she never abandoned me. So I know she’s someone we can trust."

Seeing the quiet resolve written across Elena’s face, I couldn’t brush it off.

"All right. Let’s go pay her a visit."

Elena’s smile bloomed wider and brighter than usual. "Mm!"

We left the dungeon and melted into the bustling city streets. After a brief ride on a relatively uncrowded transit line, we arrived before the Nexus Materials headquarters.

The skyscraper was breathtakingly massive, its glass facade gleaming in the sunlight with sleek sophistication. But the second we walked toward the main entrance, a burly security guard stepped out from his post.

He opened his mouth, clearly intending to ask what business we had there, but his eyes bugged out the moment he registered the girl standing beside me.

"Y-you—"

He froze, his jaw hanging slack as Elena stood there casually at my side.

"P-please wait right here, miss! I’ll contact the executive secretary upstairs immediately!" he stammered in a fluster, frantically hitting the communicator at his ear.

I nudged Elena’s arm, leaning in to whisper, "Looks like you’re a wanted woman in this building."

Elena gave a sheepish smile, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Mm. Big Sis Ririsa has always been like this. She went totally overprotective the moment I disappeared."

"Sounds like the best big sister anyone could ask for."

Elena nodded in agreement, her eyes lighting up.

A moment later, the burly guard came jogging back, out of breath and with cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Miss Ririsa is expecting you on the top floor. You may head straight up to meet her now," he said, bowing low.

"Thank you very much, sir," Elena replied politely.

We walked through the automatic glass doors, which parted without a sound. As expected of a corporate giant, the interior was sheer luxury. Polished white marble stretched across the floor, and the air buzzed with professional hustle.

Dozens of people in sharp, expensive suits hurried back and forth. A few threw curious glances our way, surprised to see a pair of casually dressed hunters in an executive lobby, but their professionalism won out and they quickly went back to their tasks.

After riding a private express elevator straight to the top, we were met by a middle-aged woman. Impeccably dressed, she carried a gentle, maternal face paired with the sharp, commanding presence of a seasoned executive assistant.

"Good afternoon. I will escort the two of you directly to Miss Ririsa. Please follow me," she said smoothly.

We followed quietly behind her down a soundproofed hallway lined with thick carpeting, eventually stopping before a set of massive, ornately carved ebony doors.

The assistant glanced back. "Miss Ririsa is waiting inside."

Elena took a deep, steadying breath, gave me a quick nod, turned the brass knob, and pushed the door open. But before she could even get a word out, she was yanked into a fiercely tight, warm embrace.

The woman hugging her was gorgeous, with golden-blonde hair flowing freely past her shoulders. She was breathtakingly alluring, dressed in tailored office wear that hugged every line of her hourglass figure—accentuating a shapely rear, radiant skin, and a bust noticeably more endowed than Elena’s.

The moment I stepped inside, my eyes were instantly drawn to her stunning face. But purely on male instinct—far faster than my conscious brain could stop me—my gaze drifted down, locking right onto her large, firm chest.

'Man, that must feel amazing to touch,' a quiet voice whispered in the back of my mind.

The moment shattered into pieces. When I looked back up, the woman was already glaring daggers at me, her eyes narrowed to slits. An icy chill instantly flooded the room.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, snapping my head to the side and pretending to be deeply fascinated by the wall.

She released her hold on Elena, her voice dropping to a frosty chill. "Elena. Who is this man?"

Elena beamed, pulling on my arm. "Big Sis Ririsa, this is Kael. He’s my boyfriend."

"Huh?!" Ririsa shrieked, her eyes practically popping out of her head. "Since when do you have a boyfriend?! Why was I never told about this?!"

"I’m sorry," Elena murmured meekly.

"You have nothing to apologize for—just explain everything to me right this second!" Ririsa fired back, her gorgeous face flushing with pure fury. "If he forced you into this, I swear I’ll tear the bastard in half!"

Even knowing my stats far outclassed hers, the raw pressure rolling off her aura sent a genuine shudder down my spine.

Sensing disaster, Elena panicked and threw both arms out in front of me.

"Wait! Let me explain, please just hear me out!" Elena cried.

Seeing the panic on Elena’s face, Ririsa’s terrifying scowl gradually broke, her expression softening almost at once.

"Fine," Ririsa said curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now sit down and start talking. From the very beginning."

To be continued...